Fractional CO₂ Laser

What is fractional CO₂?

Fractional CO₂ is a delivery method, not a different laser. A CO₂ laser produces its characteristic wavelength; fractional delivery divides that beam into an array of microscopic treatment zones so only a portion of the surface receives energy, with untreated tissue left in between.

The distinction matters when reading specification sheets. “Fractional” describes the pattern energy is delivered in. The wavelength — see 10,600 nm CO₂ — is a property of the laser source. A platform can offer fractional delivery, fully ablative delivery, or both, using the same source.

Why leave tissue untreated

The reason to treat a fraction rather than the whole surface is that the untreated tissue between zones remains as intact surrounding structure. Fractional delivery was developed to change the trade-off between how much area is treated in one session and how the treated area is left afterwards.

That trade-off is the central design question. Two variables define a fractional pattern: how much of the surface is covered, and how the individual zones are configured. Together they determine what a given treatment approach involves. These are provider-directed decisions governed by training and clinical judgement, and specific settings are not published here.

Fractional as a business decision

For a clinic owner, the fractional/ablative distinction affects the shape of the service rather than only the clinical result — how a session fits the schedule, what the aftercare conversation involves, and how the room is turned over.

That in turn shapes pricing and capacity planning. A platform that supports more than one delivery mode gives the provider room to match the approach to the case, which is generally why multi-mode systems command a premium over single-mode ones. Whether that premium pays back depends on the clinic’s case mix.

How the pattern is produced

The array of zones is created by the delivery optics rather than by the laser source — see fractional scanning for how a scanner produces the pattern. The scanner’s characteristics are part of what differentiates one fractional platform from another.

This is worth attention when comparing systems. Two devices with the same wavelength and comparable output can behave quite differently in use because their scanning hardware differs. Beam quality, pattern options, and how consistently the array is placed are properties of the delivery system, and they belong in a specification comparison alongside the source figures.

On the Alexa CO₂ platform

Pro 1 Laser offers CO₂ capability through the Alexa platform, distributed by Laser Equipment Global. The Alexa CO₂ Aesthetic product page documents the system’s specifications, licensing, and regulatory status, and is the authoritative source for what the device is licensed and configured to do.

Providers evaluating a specific configuration should request the current specification sheet rather than infer capability from the delivery method alone.